Sex, War, and Buddha

Taking the subway in NYC, I realized that a majority of the individuals carry a book with them to read during their journey on the metro. The images above are the covers of three books that individuals recommended I read. All three have amazing titles, which really made me think about how much books have to offer. Books have the ability to give people new perspective, a new way of thinking, and a better way of understanding one self. As I continue to mature, I see myself putting down Vogue and picking a book that challenges the way I think. I plan to read all three in the month of August, but first lets discuss why I chose these 3 books to read:

1)60 Things God Said About Sex-The title is way to too striking for me not to want to read the book. In society, we think about sex being such a bad thing and that you should wait for marriage…blah, blah,blah, but I feel this book can teach me a few things about sex and make me say to myself “hmm, maybe sex has a deeper meaning that we are unaware of”. I’ve always viewed sex as a connection between two people that truly have an understanding for one another, but maybe this book might teach me that sex is much more than that.

2)The Art of War– War, a word defined as “a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state”, but in reality war is much deeper than that. My loving parents taught me that patience is a virtue, and when facing any obstacle, patience is your weapon. Both my parents recommended I read this book, because patience was the one thing I needed to persevere. According to my parents, this book isn’t about the typical capitalistic wars that occur in large nations. It is more about how people are supposed to conquer and “when and how to engage opponents in order to prevail in difficult situations” (Amazon Review). We all need to fight our own battles within ourself and this book offers the power of perspective.

3)The Buddha Walks into a Bar- Now this is another book that makes me want to read solely because of the title. Imagine that, a Buddha walking into a bar… sound weird huh? In the past 3 years I have taken the time to understand the practice of Buddhism. It is not a cult or a religion, it is simply a practice. Three years ago my father decided to start practicing Buddhism. I starting going to his weekly meetings and I could instantly see the change in the person he is due to his surroundings. He was surrounded by people full of humility, that had the power of changing his life. I don’t think I have created a steady routine of practicing my daily Buddhist chant “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo”, but I have mastered the ability to accept my father’s happiness. I believe this book will be a guide for me to understand the Buddhist philosophy. I feel it will also offer me new ways of dealing with daily challenges, stress relief, and being able to connect and meditate with myself.